Top 10 most-purchased ETFs in February 2025
There’s change at the top, while lower down the rankings there are two new entrants.
3rd March 2025 15:28
by Kyle Caldwell from interactive investor
Gold is a Marmite investment. On the one hand, some argue that a small weighting to gold is beneficial over the long term as a portfolio diversifier due to its ability to act as a safe haven in troubled times. Others, however, steer clear of the yellow metal due to price volatility and the lack of a dividend.
However, interactive investor customers have been going for gold, reflected by iShares Physical Gold ETC (LSE:SGLN) topping our most-bought exchange-traded fund (ETF) table for February.
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Geopolitics has been driving the gold price higher over the past year or so. Escalating tensions in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine have prompted buying from central banks.
In addition to being seen as a hedge against economic uncertainty, another factor at play is inflation. Gold is widely viewed as an inflation hedge and some commentators think inflation will be higher than central bankers have forecast for 2025.
Over one and three years, iShares Physical Gold ETC has produced the highest returns in the top 10, even beating an ETF tracking the fortunes of US technology shares.
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iShares Physical Gold ETC has knocked Vanguard S&P 500 ETF into second and third places – with the distribution version (VUSA) ahead of the accumulation version (VUAG) in the rankings.
Three global ETFs kept their places in the top 10. In fourth place is iShares Core MSCI World Ucits ETF (LSE: SWDA), while in sixth and seventh is Vanguard FTSE All-World ETF, with the distribution version (VWRL) proving slightly more popular than the accumulation version (VWRP).
While SWDA focuses solely on developed-world equities, the Vanguard “All World” ETFs also include emerging markets.
Investing globally provides investors with diversification via exposure to different countries, sectors and industries. However, something to bear in mind is that despite global ETFs owning over 1,000 companies, more than 20% of the global stock market is focused on just seven companies: Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA).
Unchanged in fifth place is technology tracker Invesco EQQQ NASDAQ-100 ETF GBP (LSE:EQQQ), while also static in ninth place is VanEck Crypto & Blockchain Innovators ETF (DAGB).
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There were two new entrants in February. The first – iShares Core FTSE 100 ETF (LSE:ISF) – shows an uptick in demand for gaining exposure to the biggest businesses listed on the London Stock Exchange.
The second new entry – Future of Defence ETF (LSE:NATO) – shows that some investors are looking to have some exposure to the defence sector as a geopolitical hedge.
iShares S&P 500 Info Tech Sector ETF(LSE:IITU) and iShares Core S&P 500 ETF(LSE:CSP1) exited the top 10.
Top 10 most-popular ETFs in February 2025
| ETF and ticker | Change from January | One-year return (%) | Three-year return (%) |
| iShares Physical Gold ETC (SGLN) | Up two | 39.6 | 58.99 |
| Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VUSA - distributing) | Down one | 17.62 | 48.68 |
| Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VUAG - accumulating) | Down one | 17.29 | 48.28 |
| iShares Core MSCI World ETF (SWDA) | Unchanged | 15.54 | 41.4 |
| Invesco EQQQ Nasdaq 100 ETF(EQQQ) | Unchanged | 15.86 | 55.84 |
| Vanguard FTSE All-World ETF (VWRL - distributing) | Unchanged | 14.71 | 36.77 |
| Vanguard FTSE All-World ETF (VWRP - accumulating) | Up one | 14.69 | 36.79 |
| iShares Core FTSE 100 ETF (ISF) | New entry | 19.55 | 31.6 |
| VanEck Crypto and Blockchain Innovators ETF (DAGB) | Unchanged | 23.06 | -17.24 |
| HANetf Future of Defence (NATO) | New entry | 31.56 | *N/A |
*No three-year track record as this ETF was launched in July 2023.
Source: interactive investor/FE FundInfo. Performance data to 28 February 2025. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.
These articles are provided for information purposes only. Occasionally, an opinion about whether to buy or sell a specific investment may be provided by third parties. The content is not intended to be a personal recommendation to buy or sell any financial instrument or product, or to adopt any investment strategy as it is not provided based on an assessment of your investing knowledge and experience, your financial situation or your investment objectives. The value of your investments, and the income derived from them, may go down as well as up. You may not get back all the money that you invest. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.
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